How Old Are the Disney Princesses?
Ever since Walt Disney Pictures released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Disney princesses have become a staple in entertainment. The Disney princess trademark is so popular that even characters like Elsa and Anna, who both become Queen of Arendelle during Frozen and Frozen II, and Moana, who does not consider herself to be a princess at all, are thought of as princesses by fans.
Because of how popular these characters are, fans might wonder about the ages of the Disney princesses. For those who are curious, here’s how old each princess is during her respective Disney movie.
Moana and Mulan aren’t technically considered Disney princesses
If you ask Moana, she would tell you she is not a princess. In fact, she says this to Maui during her 2016 movie Moana.
“OK, first, I’m not a princess,” she says.
“If you wear a dress and you have an animal sidekick, you’re a princess,” he responds.
Going off of this logic, plus the fact that Moana’s father Tui is Motunui’s chief and that Moana has Broadway-style musical numbers, she’s considered in the lineup of Disney princesses. In her movie, Moana is 16 years old.
Even though Mulan does not come from a royal family, she has an animal sidekick and a heroic journey. Plus, the original Mulan was released in 1998 during the Disney Renaissance when the studio put a focus on animated musicals. Like Moana, Mulan is also 16 years old at the time of her movie, according to HuffPost.
Elsa and Anna were both queens
Compared to a lot of Disney princesses, Elsa and Anna are much older. They both are also not considered princesses anymore. At the end of Frozen II, Anna becomes the Queen of Arendelle, and Elsa is a protector of the Enchanted Forest after abdicating the throne to Anna.
However, they are arguably two of the most popular Disney characters and they are from a royal family, were princesses at the start of Frozen, and have well-known musical numbers. Based on these criteria, they can still be included on the list of Disney princesses.
The main plot of Frozen kicks off with Anna’s 18th birthday while Elsa is 21 years old. By the sequel, Anna is 21 years old and Elsa is 24 years old.
Snow White and Jasmine are the youngest Disney princesses
Out of all of the original Disney princesses, Snow White and Jasmine are the youngest. In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White is only 14 years old. Jasmine is not much older, and in Aladdin, Jasmine is 15 years old. Realizing how young both Jasmine and Snow White are can be alarming. Especially considering in Aladdin, Jafar, who is much older than Jasmine, tries to marry her.
Like Moana and Mulan, Ariel from The Little Mermaid, Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, and Merida from Brave are all 16 years old. Belle is 17 years old in Beauty and the Beast, and while Rapunzel is 17 years old at the start of Tangled she turns 18 years old during the movie.
Pocahontas is 18 years old, and Cinderella and Tiana are both 19 years old during their respective movies. This means that aside from Elsa and then Anna in Frozen II, all of the Disney princesses are teenagers.
